Mufti Menk – The Membrane – Life and another Life
AI: Summary ©
The speakers discuss Subhan reminded everyone that everyone is born with a certain "arson behavior" and that it can lead to permanent health. They also discuss the depiction of the heart in Islam and how it can be used to "arson behavior." They stress the importance of achieving the Mercy of Allah and working hard towards achieving it. They also emphasize the need to get to the other side of the world and not give up on small things. They stress the importance of learning to respect others and not judge others, and emphasize the importance of creating ease for others.
AI: Summary ©
Bismillah Al Rahman Rahim Al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil Alameen wa sallahu wa salam ala Bucha Rahmatullah al Amin. Bina Muhammad wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa Tabby in a woman Tabby at home BSN in Illa, Yami Deen my brothers, my sisters, if you take a look at
Allah Almighty is plan.
Many times people forget
that before birth, before they were born.
We believe all of us were with Allah subhanho wa taala.
But we don't remember as sophisticated as we are right now. We don't remember the day we were born, or the first few days or even the first year perhaps.
Does anyone from amongst you remember anything? themselves? Not that you were shown a video later on, but you remember yourselves. Anything from the first year?
From your birth? Put up your hands, we want to hear about it.
Anyone?
Okay, no one.
I want to say today, we're so sophisticated, we begin to question the makeup. And then we begin to disbelieve in the Hereafter. And we tell ourselves when I die. It's the end of everything. That's it. I am on earth without a purpose. I'm just here, you know, to enjoy myself and do whatever I can. No, no, we are believers, with all due respect to those who perhaps feel that way. Believers don't feel that way. We believe we are too sophisticated, to just disappear one day, when I die,
I will get an opportunity to do the things I wanted to do, that I was unable to do on Earth. And how I know I'm going to be able to do them is because today I'm seated here or I'm standing in front of you, for example. And there is so much in my life that I wanted to achieve, but I couldn't I want to meet you, for example, I want to talk to you, I want to spend a little bit of time getting to know you, and perhaps enjoying a few share, you know, sharing a few beautiful stories or moments and whatever it may be, and I have not had the opportunity to do that. But I'm so sophisticated. I have feelings, I have emotions, there are people I love, there are people perhaps I didn't get on with
there is injustice that has also happened that I'd like to see the justice of, and at the same time
I have my own blood, my progeny.
Subhanallah that is continuing. I have my children. May Allah bless those who don't have children with children. But we have children. We have perhaps grandchildren like you unfortunately discovered. But at the same time Subhanallah I won't forgive you guys, man. Come on. But at the same time, what a question come on guys, right. But at the same time SubhanAllah. I know for a fact that if any one of my children were to pass on May Allah protect us. Or if I were and it's going to happen, die. You know what we have to gather somewhere, we have to get together again, we have to come together. I want to give you this evening a powerful example. Some of you might have heard it
in some of my talks. But I have to say it because for me, this is what actually means so much.
It's called the membrane.
That's the title of what I want to say the membrane.
Do you recall the day
that you
were forming in the womb of your mother? No, you don't?
Do you recall the day that you were a droplet of * finding its way to be fertilized? Absolutely not. Some might say How could you even say that? Well, the Quran says that. So I'm not embarrassed to say it.
The Quran says we created you from a droplet.
I don't recall. I don't remember a thing. But because I now know that I was there.
I mean, all of the maker. Wow. It didn't go wrong.
Every one of us was a champion at one stage. Why? Because that was the droplet of * that actually won the race. fertilized. You want you came on earth a winner. Remember this?
It's a very important statement. I say this because
As we developed,
I'm sure we enjoyed the warmth of the womb. And I'm sure we were so fortunate to be fed and sustained without any effort, no effort, whatever did you make nothing. You were sustained. By whom? By a miracle Wallahi by a miracle. She was sustained. You were provided for you are protected. If your mother did not eat, guess what nutrients were taken from her in order to make sure that you were okay. She would have struggled, but not you.
It's a miracle.
And guess what, you began to grow in size, Mashallah. And walkins began to form and a few weeks later, boom, boom, boom, they could see that the heart is pumping, and they were excited. That was you.
Subhanallah that was you? Mashallah.
And guess what happened? You swam all over, you enjoyed certain things, and you went this way, that way, if someone had to hit your mom's belly, you didn't feel it, it was cushioned, you were in a fluid that was filled with goodness.
I'm sure. At that particular juncture.
As much as I don't remember what I'm sure I was in the best possible place.
Enjoying swimming all over. carefree, nothing to worry about, like you see little children? Do they even care where they pee, they don't even care.
They look at you and say, IP, that's if they could talk right? And standing there will warm fluid going down their legs. They don't care, do they? But it's the reality. So carefree, you didn't know what came in what went out nothing. But you grew. And as you grew older, as you grew larger, should I say the place you were in became narrower, more and more narrow. And so you found it difficult to move at some point, what must have been going through your mind and mind. I can only imagine.
Let me tell you what I thought about.
I said to myself, perhaps at that time, I must have been thinking, hey, it's getting a bit hard to move around here. Wonder what's going to happen. I'm growing bigger all the time.
It's getting more and more tough. until there came a time when I couldn't move. You know, as you kicked, your mother could feel it.
Ask those who are expecting May Allah make it easy for them. They will tell you the kicks, sometimes they kick, first kick, normally it's at 120 days. First kicks. Why? Because we believe that's where the soul is blown in. So even though you have a heartbeat prior to it, Islamically, we say that that's a muscle that just starts pumping doing its job from the very beginning, not necessarily depicting life
in a way that we are today. And that's why we have hearts that continue pumping way beyond the death of a person. And we also have people who remain alive way beyond the pumping of their hearts. Does it make sense to you?
In the case of transplants, a guy's heart stopped functioning, they replaced it with a person's heart who's gone and buried. So he is functioning on someone else's heart and his heart is gone. The guy who died is alive and the guy who's alive is dead. Sorry. Sorry. I hope you understood what I just said. Right? So the pumping of the heart in Islam does not necessarily depict full life. There comes a point when there is life.
But Subhanallah
at that juncture, the kick happens. And then you know, it continues further and further. And then there's a time when you think that's it. It's over. I think it's everything's finished. Everything's over. That's it. Imagine if there was a person who didn't even believe for example, didn't even believe. And they said, That's it. It's all over. And guess what, one big push, and you are out in a world that you never dreamt would ever have existed. Wow. It was so so different that you began to cry.
What was there between you and this whole life a membrane? What was that membrane, the womb of your mother? That's it between you and something you never dreamt of which was going to be called the life of the dunya there was just a membrane. You had to cross one membrane.
For you to witness something today you don't remember but you know you went through it. Some of us now even have videos of it and photos of it. That was you when you were born and you will see
crunched up small and they say so? Good. We wonder what's so cute about that anyway, besides the fact that it's teaching so small teach is a word I learnt in London, by the way.
So Subhanallah it's amazing. What happened, when you thought there was nothing to come, something came, what came a life, a life I didn't expect. And when you were in the womb, if I was in the womb of my mother enjoying everything, and I said, One day, I'd like to have more of this, I'd like to have more of this. Oh, I love this. I wonder what's happening. Your mother was busy eating sweets and chocolates, whatever. It might have been silly example. But if you enjoyed anything, then the moment you crossed the membrane, everything you left behind, became not just irrelevant, but became such that if you were to be told, would you like any of it, you would say yuck.
Agreed. If I told you anything in your womb that you enjoyed, would you like some now? You say, Hey, don't even talk about it. You're about to have a meal man. Mashallah, agreed. So, whatever you like there, the moment you cross the membrane, hey, what's here is something totally different the first time I'm going to see my mother, the one in whom I existed.
And I look and wow. And there's a connection, I feel that and I'm lifted, and I'm kissed and I'm hugged, and everything happened. And I grew older and older and older. And Allah Almighty tells you in the same way, you're going to cross another membrane one day, into a life that's going to be everlasting. And you're going to be in the same. Oh,
wow.
As you grow older,
and you are terminally ill May Allah grant us all cure.
All your bones are aching, and you start thinking I'm going to go a believer is told, Don't worry, just prepare for the day, by trying to achieve the Mercy of Allah because the Mercy of Allah, like I said in my earlier speech, is what is going to bring you into Janna paradise.
So if I think for a moment that you know what I that's the indole of everything, the loss is mine, because Allah has already proven to you, and you know about the first one, that the end all did not happen. It actually was the beginning of something also.
That was already proven to you, we did it once we're going to do it again.
What is he going to do again? Now when I get to the end of this life, and I start thinking, hey, this is the end of it. I'm old. I'm 80. In the case of some and perhaps a little bit more than that, what's going to happen? Allah says, You know what? It's going to be you have to cross the membrane. What is it? It's such a thin membrane. The moment the flesh comes in, you cross it you're gonna be you're so behind Allah, I should have gotten here long back, man. So Subhanallah where am I floating? I am somewhere. I can't describe it for you right now besides a little but it's going to be a good place because you're a good person, you reach out to others. You're kind you're, you're
you're caring. You're amazing. You don't abuse people, you don't harm them. You're discipline. That's what Islam is all about. That's what faith is all about. It disciplines you. I'm worshiping my maker alone. And I'm respecting all the creatures that he made because he made everything else. And I'm going to be an asset not just to my family, to society, to community to humanity at large. And then what happens as I grow older and older, I have hope in the Mercy of Allah and I know cross the membrane. And now there's a question that just comes to my mind because I mentioned it
if there was something you liked here on earth
unfortunately, the Hadith says material items, you're not going to find them there. Why? The same yak will be said on the other side.
If you go to Paradise, here's Muhammad peace be upon him telling you fi harmala Allah Odin on Sami Atallah Katara Allah will be butcher in it, there is that which no eye has ever seen, just like how the first membrane crossing happened right? There is that which no eye has ever seen.
No ears have ever heard.
And no heart has ever imagined. It hasn't even crossed your heart. In the Arabic language, they say that crossing your heart but we say cross your mind. It didn't even cross your mind.
Why?
Because if I say anything material today that I like and I can't afford, many of us say inshallah I'll get that in Jana. Don't we say that? We do. It's normal human thing to say. I don't have it. I can't afford it. But insha Allah in Jana, my sister, my brother, even in this world, if you're given life you will not want
Same thing. Some of the older people here long back there was a car called there was a more or what was the motor vehicle of the age in the 1960s? The best of the cars what was it called? afford a certain Ford right?
And imagine you said don't worry, we can't afford it. We'll get him in Jana today in 2020. Do you want that phone? No you don't you yourself do not even want what you desperately made dua Allah give this to me in Jannah. If you were to get it in this world, now you still won't want it. How's that? Because that's the nature of this world. The world is in the eyes of Allah. He says, You know what it's only a means it's a means the lazier you're becoming, the more Allah provides you with technology. Hence, the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, didn't have any of the technology we have today in terms of the internet and running water in a tap and the cars and, and the aircraft and so
on. But he is the best of creation, the most noble of all messengers of Allah, if there was any value to any of that in the eyes of Allah, He would have first given it to him, and then everyone else. So it means it's just a means it's a means of getting me to the other side. Do not become too attached to anything you found on this earth. Don't become too attached to it. You learn to, to take give, And subhanAllah reach out, don't get too attached, you're going to lose it with no matter what it is, if you found it on Earth, you're going to lose it one day, May Allah Almighty help us. But when you get something in the hereafter it is said, even the people you're going to meet, you will
recognize them, because Allah allows you to recognize them, but the way they look will be superb and perfect.
That's why when the normal statement we hear people say, You know what, if I'm going to get my husband in the hereafter in Jannah, I don't even want to go there. We've heard that a lot. And then we have to explain my sister. Don't worry about all of that. Because the Hadith says when you get to the other side, whatever you wish for you will have
Oh, you mean you're not gonna get the same guy? I didn't say that. I didn't say that. I am saying from now you're already determining what exactly you know the yuck factor. Think about that. You're gonna go to the other side. You'll see all the guys you're gonna choose the guy and Allah will tell you that was your husband in the world by the way.
Wow Subhanallah Okay, I'll take him back. It's okay, that's fine. Mashallah.
So this is what's happening.
Allah will grant us something beyond our imagination. You don't worry you don't stress. People ask me what Allah He more and more are asking me is my cat going to be in Paradise with Me? And I said, Allah will give you something way beyond your imagination. Let's go there. Because one of the traps of the devil is while we are worried about what we're going to get them, we forget that we still have to get there.
So rather than forgetting that, I got to get there first. It's like someone saying,
a God actually asked me, you know, my girlfriend, will she be in Ghana? With me, I said that you're gonna get there in the first place.
She might be there waiting for you, and you might be somewhere else. Right?
It's possible.
This is why we say work hard towards achieving the pleasure of Allah. I said it many times this evening, work hard towards achieving the Mercy of Allah. We all have our struggles. I struggle with so many things.
I would not be in a position to share with you my struggles beyond a point because at times, they're embarrassing. I'm a human. So are you without exception all of us. There are certain things we may do or have done that are probably embarrassing to even share with the closest people to you. That's because you're a human, but Allah knows. And you know, what do I do as a result? I need to know don't let any statement of any person on earth make you despondent from the Mercy of Allah subhanho wa taala. No matter what Mark you might be in according to the people, for as long as you know, you're trying to improve yourself as an individual, every single day, my sister, my brother, you're
heading in the right direction, nevermind at what pace?
Allahu Akbar.
Have hope, with that hope, base the hope on something.
I cannot just have hope and say I'm hopeful but every day I'm involved in things that are far away from the Mercy of Allah and the hope.
But I'm basing it on the fact that I'm trying
gang. I'm a good person. I believe I'm decent. I'm kind, I do have weaknesses. I need to work on this and the say for example, my anger, my jealousy, my whatever else it may be, I need to work on my prayers. I need to work on my dress code. I need to work on my connection with Allah, I need to work on my relationships I need. I know I need to work on all of these things. But am I working on some of them? At least? The answer is yes. Well, then good news. You know what, we're all this work in progress. So am I
why should I stand in front of you and pretend like I am the Pope? No, I'm not SubhanAllah.
But my brothers, my sisters,
one of the best ways of earning the Mercy of Allah is to constantly seek his forgiveness.
If the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, who did not really need to do that did it up to 100 times a day? Surely you and I need to do it more than that. Oh ALLAH forgive my shortcomings. Oh ALLAH forgive all my brothers and sisters for whatever shortcomings they may be having. The sins we've committed knowingly and without knowing the sins that are major, the sins that are minor, the sins that are hidden the sins that are apparent, may Allah forgive all of us.
Because my brothers and sisters in end of the day, Allah Almighty is mercy is what will get us to paradise. And at the same time, the goodness that is within you should never be eclipsed by anything else, maintain it. Allah looks for any reason
to get you into Jana. We know that from the Hadith. Earlier, I gave you an example of a guy having mercy on a dog and Jana, someone having mercy on a cat and Jana, then there are verses of the Quran that say people will be protected from hellfire because of a donation they made it. It's in the Quran. Have you read surah two ln, Allah says, Should we tell you those who are going to be saved from hellfire? They are the ones who believed and spent in his cause. So Allah says, Amma man Appa what Tucker was sacked dockable Husna for Sonia Cyril Julio usara, amazing. The people who gave that's the first thing mentioned artha, did you give? Yes. So what did I do? Well, let me explain
what I did. Allah blessed me in a certain way, and I used the blessing I was given to earn the Mercy of Allah. So now that I've got the Mercy of Allah, Allah says, You know what you gave, and you were conscious of us. And you believed, so paradise is yours. Subhanallah there is so much hopelessness on Earth today. So many tragedies, so much happening. As I grow older, there is a concern, there is a concern that one day my eyes are going to close.
So what can I do? I can either become depressed about it. And I can either start thinking the Lord on, the Lord is not even going to have mercy on me because I'm such a terrible person. Or I can actually say, No, I am trying. And I've been a decent person. Yes, I've faulted if Adam Alayhis Salam, that's another thing that really really moves me and inspires me. Can I wait it as bluntly as possible? Listen to this. Allah since Adam and Hawa May peace be upon him. In fact, he created them. And he told them one thing, he just said, do not eat from this. And that's exactly where they ate from. Oh, wow.
See how bluntly I worded it.
Allah told Adam and Hawa
do whatever you want, besides this tree, don't go near.
The Shed don't go near the tree. Guess what they did? They went near the same tree. You had no 1000 instructions like I have. And we all have you only had one. Oh, my forefather and you went for it. But you know what the lesson was the minute he said, Oh ALLAH forgive me. He was forgiven. The question is, do I say Oh Allah, forgive me genuinely. That's the question. That's the lesson.
Adam Alayhis Salam is way beyond you and I in rank, but there was a reason why Allah chose whatever happened to happen. It was a lesson for all of us to say, oh, Children of Adam, you will falter. The Best of those who falter of those who go back in repentance often could lose money or the MaHA or Halal in a taboo, all the children of Adam, they will earn they will falter. They will sin and the Best of those who often sin or those who often repent. That's the meaning of it. May Allah Almighty forgive us have hope. My brothers my sister's have hope, but in the process, never allow yourself to develop a chip on your shoulder. Don't ever look at someone and tell yourself, I'm better than them.
You might be in one way, but you may not be in another 1000 ways. Learn to greet each other. Learn to respect each other, learn to talk to each other, learn to honor each other, Allah will grant you honor, learn to open the doors for others and create ease to the degree that Allah has allowed
You and Allah will create ease for you in this world in the next there are so many integrations I could speak about that would actually confirm that the Prophet sallallahu Sallam has said it so many times whoever creates ease for someone Allah will create ease for them in this world and the next whoever gives a person who owes them money a little bit of time, Allah will give them time in the hereafter Allah will give them respite in the hereafter. Mashallah, some people are nodding their head so much it feels like they owe people money, but it's okay. Pay them back please as soon as you can, but at the same time, if you give someone time, masha Allah, Allah will grant you from his
mercy. To go easy on the people. We're all struggling trust me. Everyone you see has their own story. You don't know it. So don't judge them. You have never walked in their shoes. You don't know how they got to where they've gotten to. I tell you earlier we heard Brother him say you get a reward just by your intention. Imagine if I intended to do something grand. And in the process I passed away, Allah says I will give you the reward as though you achieved it already. And if that's the case, you might see someone seated right next to you. And you're thinking this person seems to be far from Allah. Number one, you are not Allah number two, you don't know the heart number three
shaytaan has just got out of you. And number four, they might have already arrived at a rank far higher based on the intention and the struggle and the commitment more than anything else.
I want to become a half width. So I start I'm learning adversity, one versity that's very little by the way, but if I'm learning adversity, and for example, one juice I still have 29 left and I pass away. I am resurrected as a half if
that's Allah, why I was dedicated there goes the Hadith says enamel Amma Lubin yet my brothers, my sisters, why don't we just say I want to be a Hatfield. I'm going to learn a verse a week Allahu Akbar. I'm making it so easy for you, right? I'm gonna learn a verse a week learn it, repeat it, say it again and again and again. And again. I swear 52 weeks down the years gone. You only know 52 verses but because of the dedication, the commitment the fact that you didn't miss it, the day you die if you are, if you have completed it, good news. If you haven't completed it even better news, then why Allah chose to take you away. He knows when you were going to go had he kept you you would
have finished he says I'll just write it as though you finished it Subhan Allah. In nama liquid libre Manawa Allah says everyone will get a reward based on their intention. For as long as you are genuine. Here we are my brothers and sisters.
My time's up, although they've told me loose end but you know what, we all need to eat each other.
Eat as much as you can. Because when you cross that membrane, it's all going to be
Allah Almighty grant us goodness and ease I really have enjoyed myself the last few days and today Mashallah. I'm super excited to have seen my brothers and sisters, anyone who'd like to still donate and pledge towards the good causes. You can always do that online. You can scan the barcode that's there in sha Allah and you can still make a donation here and there. You can also go home and encourage others. Inshallah, if you'd like. It's been so nice to have spoken to you in sha Allah. If we don't get an opportunity to meet in this world. Perhaps Allah will grant us that opportunity in the Hereafter. And until we meet again, we say or sal Allahu wa salam ala Baraka Al and Amina
Muhammad was salam aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakato.